Looking Back

Wrapping This Week's Soul Candy

nOvaMatic  |  05/17/2008 at 8:49 AM  |  Comments (3)

• Fantasia, what the hell was that?
• We got an earful when we tracked down Loose Ends.
• We rebuke you, MTV!
• Thicke's 'Magic' had us all enchanted.
• We wished a very Happy Birthday to Stevie Wonder!

FEEDBACK OF THE WEEK

Law Diva 1908 on Man vs. Machine (Part 4): Welcome to the Quiet Storm

I'm sorry to request you torture yourself more but please consider making this a weekly feature, lol and no more cheating by listening to an hour after 10, I need you during the prime HAM time, lol!

Torture myself more? I'm sorry, but there isn't enough ad revenue in the world. Or is there?

In short, click the ads. LOL!

Jeremy on "Rumored Producers for Whitney's Comeback Proves Singers Over 40 Don't Get Out Much"

Unfortunately in order for one to remain relevant in the current music industry, songs like "migrate" are neccessary, and even sometimes an exciting change. I find it fairly ironic that when Mariah and Whitney were releasing ballad after ballad people were complaining about the monotony. Whitney bowed out and Mariah heeded the complaints of the critics... She had some of the best success of her career, and I'm pretty sure "migrate" will do well also. Yet and still we manage to complain... It must be hard trying to remain relevant. I wish Whitney as much success as Mariah has had even if she comforms to a more modern sound. [sic]

We are unable to identify the "people" and the "we" Jeremy's talking about here, but we're willing submit that the irony and complaining he's observing can be immediately absorbed by the fact that we are not a part of the "people" and the "we" to which he refers. And, we take exception to the idea that an artist has to conform to anything in order to remain relevant, especially when the notion is laid out as fact. Is it the industry's fault? Or is it the audience that has allowed artists and labels to fall back on this logic in order to excuse a "business decision" set to an all-too familiar drum loop?

Also, are we to seriously believe there is no happy median between making "ballad after ballad" and deferring to The Omnipotent Hip-Pop Greed Machine that, more often than not, commodifies minstrelsy, laziness and unoriginality? Labels and sometimes the artists themselves would rather spend exorbitant amounts of cash to recycle the same producers and guest rappers everyone else is using because they don't have the cajones to step outside of the box and, in the process, save a buck. Who knew originality could be so economical?